DIY INDOOR LITTER CAT GARDEN SANCTUARY

If you have a cat or multiple cats, you likely have a space in your home where you put the litter boxes that is far, far away from other normal living spaces. Because let’s face it, having a litter box in or near your living quarters can put a damper on life: the smell, the mess, the litter dust…

Last year, with the help of Tidy Cats, we overhauled our litter room to go from eew to ooh through our “Littervention“… and this year, we’re taking it up a notch. We’re creating an indoor kitty litter garden in your litter area that both you and your cats can enjoy year-round.

Check out this progression from 2015 (eew) to 2016 (ooh) to 2017 (ahhh)

How To Turn Your Litter Room Into An Indoor Kitty Litter Garden Sanctuary

It’s actually pretty easy to do this and the whole project, including the cat-safe plants, cost about $300. I always reference the ASPCA’s directory on toxic and non-toxic plants for cats before bringing any plant into my home.

Head on: Trellis has small cat-safe plants and is affixed above the litter boxes. Small plants in between the boxes add interest.

Be sure to research any plants you bring into your home to ensure they are safe for your cat.

Assemble the garden cart and start arranging your supplies including litter, litter scooper and plantsHere’s what we used – but use your imagination and choose items that fit with your own home!

Materials

• Indoor/Outdoor Rug
• Small Garden Cart
• Wooden Garden Trellis
• Tidy Cats Lightweight Litter (Glade Clean Blossom Formula) – I chose the “Clean Blossoms” formula because a) it’s really lightweight – so it’s purrfect to put on the cart, b) the scent is really light and pleasant and not overpowering at all, and c) it clumps really well, which will help keep the area cleaner.
• Cat-Safe Plants: Boston Ferns, Gerbera Daisies, Lemon Button Ferns (Duffii Fern), Dill, Basil, Rosemary, American Rubber Plant (safe choice, but not used here), Prayer Plant (safe choice, but not used here) Note, if you are hesitant to use real plants, opt for artificial ones!
• Planters including 5 small plastic containers for use with the trellis, and plenty others to place around the area.
• Small Wooden Garden Stool
• Garden Cat Statue (optional)
• Ash River Rock (optional) – These rocks are smooth and large enough that your cat cannot pick them up

Required Tools

You’ll also need some simple tools including:

• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Screws

How To Create A Cat Garden Room Like This One…

Step 1: Assemble Cart

Assemble the cart according to the enclosed instructions

Step 2: Assemble Stool

Assemble the stool according to the enclosed instructions

Step 3: Cut Trellis to Size

Saw off the ends of the trellis (those ends would normally stick into the ground)

Step 4: Place Pots Randomly On Trellis and Mark Placements

• Randomly place the 5 small plastic containers on the trellis and drill small holes on the trellis where you want to place them.
• Pre-drilling the hole will make it easier to affix the planters with screws

Step 5: Affix Pots

Use a screwdriver and one screw to affix the small plastic pots to the trellis

Step 6: Affix Trellis

• Affix the trellis to the wall.
• Mark where the wall studs are and use a level to ensure that the trellis is even on the wall.
• Again, use a drill to make holes in the trellis, then use screws to affix the trellis to the wall.

Now that you have the major structures in place, it’s time to decorate with potted plants!

Right-side view: Garden stool with large Boston fern, gerbera daisies, and a small cat statue

Step 7: Creating the Garden

Garden Cart

• Top Shelf: The top shelf was the perfect place to put things like the Tidy Cats Clean Blossoms Lightweight Litter, a small watering can, and other items you need quick access to.
• Middle and Bottom Shelves: The shorter height of these shelves was the perfect place for smaller plants like basil, dill and rosemary, all planted in small containers.
• To the left of the cart: A litter scoop is hidden by a cute cat statue that acts as a litter scoop holder

Left side: Garden cart with Tidy Cats Clean Blossom Litter and a variety of cat-safe plants.

Left and Right Side of Room (Litter Boxes Centered)

• One large Boston Fern was placed on top of an inverted pot to give some height, the other Boston Fern was placed on the small stool on the other side of the room.
• On the left-side floor, use three planters containing: red Gerbera (Gerber) daisies, basil and a small lemon button fern.

On the right-side floor, use several planters (we used three) containing a variety of plants. We used yellow Gerbera (Gerber) daisies, rosemary, basil and a small Boston Fern.

Left side: Garden cart with Tidy Cats Clean Blossom Litter and a variety of cat-safe plants.

Between litter boxes, two small pots containing basil and a small lemon button fern were placed to continue the theme.

On the trellis, each of the five pots were filled with mini plants including:

• Dill
• Basil
• Mini Boston fern
• Mini lemon button ferns (2)

Ceramic pots were placed in between the litter boxes including basil and a small lemon button fern.

Finally, a neutral-colored indoor/outdoor rug was placed in the center of the room to bring the whole room together and add more warmth. The nice thing about indoor/outdoor rugs are their durability. My cats love to stretch out their claws and scratch on them, and they are (nearly) indestructible! I also added a painting of a landscape that I had made several years ago, above the trellis, to really help tie the room together.

Jady trying out the new indoor litter garden. She loves it!

Tidy Cats Litter Giveaway! {GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED}

GIVEAWAY RULES (Ended)

• this post and then head over to our Facebook page and find this post.
• In the post comments, tell us what you think by Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at 11:59pm CST. 
• Winner will be chosen randomly and will receive two (2) coupons good for any variety of Tidy Cats Litter  (I recommend trying the New  Lightweight Clean Blossoms Formula). 
• Must be 18 years of age and have a U.S. mailing address to be eligible.
• Promotion is sponsored by Tidy Cats. 
• Winner will be announced by June 2, 2017, once the winner’s mailing address has been confirmed. 

The winner is….Michele C. from New Jersey and her two cats Oliver and Marley won 2 coupons good for any Tidy Cats litter! 

(Psst we recommend the lightweight with clean blossoms! It keeps the litter smelling fresh without being overwhelming…)

And that’s it! It took one day to do all of the shopping and another day to put it all together. My cats were eager to take this new design for a test drive. They have really enjoyed the room. Some of them have nibbled at the cat-safe plants, but really not very much.

Tips For Keeping Cats Happy About Their Litter Box Areas

Cats can be very particular about where they “do their business.” Any time you make a change to their normal routine, be sure to introduce your cats slowly if necessary.

It’s important to note that I have several other areas of my home with litter boxes that have stayed the same. I want to ensure that if any one of my cats was unhappy with the new garden, or just need some time to adjust, they have alternate areas to go.

A few tips on litter box areas:

• Place litter boxes in quiet, low-traffic areas
• Use at least one litter box per cat PLUS one additional box
• Place litter boxes throughout your home, so your cats have multiple options.
• Clean boxes daily (or more). If you hate cleaning their boxes, do yourself a favor and time yourself to see how long it takes you. You’ll see that you can clean the boxes in a matter of minutes. I timed myself and it took me less than two full minutes to clean them. Sometimes when we put it in perspective, it is so much easier to adopt good habits and make them part of your daily routine.

What did you think of our Litter Box Garden Makeover? Is it something you would try? Why or why not?